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What Is a ‘Ride-or-Cry Friendship’? The Bond Built Through Breakups, Job Losses, and Chaos

A new survey found many close friendships start during hard times, but experts say the bond has to grow beyond crisis.

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Think about the person you’d call at 2 a.m. if you really needed someone. There’s a decent chance you met them when everything was falling apart.

A new Dating.com survey of more than 2,000 adults found that 53% of people say their closest friendship began during a difficult period in their lives. Another 67% have stayed friends with someone largely because of everything they’ve been through together. The platform is calling these “Ride-or-Cry Friendships” — connections forged through breakups, family dysfunction, job losses, and whatever else strips life down to who actually picks up the phone.

Jaime Bronstein, LCSW, resident therapist at Dating.com, says the........

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